1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention relate to automated, robotic floor mopping. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention relate to a unique electric floor cleaning system that can be incorporated into a wide variety of robot or remote control platforms.
2. Description of the Related Technology
Robotic technology is under development in many academic and industrial environments. A great challenge for mobile robots is robust navigation, which has been solved in a variety of applications. Computer processing power, batteries, electronic sensors such as cameras, and efficient electric motors are all either just becoming available, cost effective or reliable enough to use in consumer robots. Industry has finally reached the point where commercial success of household robots has become an implementation issue, rather than a technology issue.
Mobile robots have been designed, developed and deployed to handle a variety of tasks, such as manufacturing and security. As robots become more prevalent in society, they will continue to automate tasks currently performed by people. Household cleaning and maintenance is an obvious application for robotics, and pool cleaning, lawn mowing and vacuuming robots have been developed.
Mopping is another obvious candidate for automation, but automated mopping is not as simple as making a robot that mops like a person. The methods humans use to perform household tasks have evolved over time based on the tools available, but a robot will not necessarily perform tasks in the same manner as a person. For example, people use their arms and legs to walk and work, while most robots use motors and wheels.
While it is possible to automate current manual or electric mopping devices and methods, the result would be a poorly performing machine based on a compromise of ideas. People clean surfaces, such as floors, using mops and buckets of water. A mopping robot would have to be large enough to hold both clean and dirty water reservoirs, and, therefore, could not clean small, hard-to-reach areas. The clean water and cleaning solution require refilling, the dirty water needs emptying, and the mop head needs to be cleaned and occasionally replaced. Water and drains would need to be plumbed to locations the robot could reach. Even if this was done in new construction, leaks in the robot or in the filling station would be potentially catastrophic. Designing failsafe machines to work with water is complicated and expensive. Therefore, a robot mop needs a unique and innovative cleaning apparatus to work effectively.
Most mopping is done manually with a mop and a bucket of water. The Swiffer(trademark) is a product that uses small disposable towels to damp mop smooth floors. In addition to being a manual device, this product is inconvenient because it is does not deep clean and each individual towel only cleans a small area. Current electric mopping machines and waxers use spinning brushes, either flat disks that spin on an axis perpendicular to the ground or cylindrical brushes that spin on an axis parallel to the ground.
Another mopping approach uses a long damp towel on two rollers. The towel in this system is configured similar to a scroll such that it is wound on two rollers, feed and take-up reels, mounted on a handle. Typically, the feed reel is exposed, and the user presses it against the ground to mop. When the area of towel gets dirty, the user manually winds the towel further onto the take-up reel to expose a clean towel area. Trigger mechanisms that wind the towel with a press of a button have also been developed. A disposable cartridge/towel system has also been developed for this type of mopping approach.
A robot mopping system is appealing to consumers. However, all the heretofore proposed robot mops are simply automated versions of electric mopping devices. A variety of water and plumbing issues make the viability of such a system questionable.
Aspects of the present invention are directed toward a system and method of automated, robotic floor mopping. The unique electric cleaning system can be incorporated into a wide variety of robot or remote control platforms. One embodiment includes a fully automated robotic floor mopping machine that damp mops the floor using a pre-moistened roll of towels or webbing that automatically advances from a feed roll to a take-up roll. While this embodiment is directed to a self-contained robot mopping apparatus, another embodiment of the mopping system could also be incorporated in a slave platform that operates in conjunction with a controller robot.
Unlike all current electric and robot mopping devices that use spinning brushes and onboard water reservoirs, this system uses a pre-moistened web or towel on a roller system. The general cleaning process is similar to how a person works with a sponge. The robot moves back and forth while pressing the towel against the floor. Instead of rinsing the towel, the robot turns its rollers exposing a clean section of towel. For convenience, the towel can be delivered on a roll that is pre-moistened with a cleaning solution and is disposable.
While it is possible to use the take-up or feed reel as the cleaning head, such as in previous mechanical devices, one embodiment presses the towel against the floor by a pliable, sponge-like object. The dual benefits are increasing the size of cleaning area, and the soft pressure improves cleaning because the towel will contour to irregularities in the floor such as grout between tiles.
Typically, the roll of toweling is transferred between two reels at a controlled rate as the robot moves in a mopping motion across the floor. However, the robot can use optical or other sensors to determine when the exposed portion of the towel is dirty and advance the towel on the reels when appropriate. Research has shown that one square foot of toweling cleans approximately 25 square feet of flooring. The towel can be made of any cloth, paper or other appropriate material, but a tough, disposable paper-based material is preferable in one embodiment. Simple water can be used as the cleaning solution, but adding soap or other cleaner improves the mop efficacy. It is also feasible to use a dry towel and have the robot apply a cleaning solution. This necessitates a reservoir on the robot in one embodiment.
In one aspect of the present invention, there is a floor mopping assembly, comprising a first roller configured to let out a web mounted on a roll; a second roller configured to reel in the web; a motor system configured to cause transfer of the web between the first roller and the second roller; a pad configured to press the web against a surface; and a housing to enclose the motor system, the first roller, the second roller and the pad, wherein the motor system, the first and second rollers, and the pad are mounted in the housing such that the motor causes transfer of the web between the first and second rollers and between the pad and the surface.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is a floor mopping assembly, comprising a computerized mobile chassis, a first roller configured to let out a roll of webbing, a second roller configured to reel in the webbing, and a motor system configured to cause transfer of the webbing between the first roller and the second roller, wherein the motor system and the first and second rollers are conveyed by the chassis.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is a floor mopping assembly, comprising a computerized mobile chassis, a first means for letting out a portion of webbing, a second means for taking up the webbing, and a motor means for causing transfer of the webbing between the first means and the second means.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, there is a method of mopping a surface with a floor mopping device, the method comprising a) connecting a roll of webbing on a feed roller to a take-up roller, b) moving the floor mopping device without human intervention, c) pressing on a portion of the webbing such that the webbing cleans the surface, and d) transferring the portion of the webbing to the take-up roller.